Masked
by DarthSukiMomo
Summary: Snake Eyes has something on his mind and keeps dragging Tunnel Rat off late at night just to... hang out with him...? T-rat thinks it's odd, he's never seen the silent ninja do anything unnecessary before, but he'll roll with it. Why not?


Tunnel Rat returned to their Cobra Truck, pockets filled with edibles. The others would most likely turn up their noses at what he found, but at least he wouldn't be eating canned peas for the fifth time in a row. He jumped back with a start as Snake Eyes fell from the sky directly in front of him. "Man! Again with the scaring me thing!"

The swordsman stood predictably voiceless.

"Ah don't tell me you can't stand a little outdoors stench either," Tunnel Rat bemoaned. Not too long ago, he'd actually been 'politely' asked to find somewhere to shower before even thinking of boarding the Coyote. It didn't smell _that_ bad.

Receiving a small shake of the head, the shorter man wondered why Snake Eyes was blocking his way into the the truck. He obviously wanted something, but gave no indication as to what, and of course didn't say a single word either.

"So you can't say, like, anything, right?"

A curt nod.

"Is that by choice, or did you take some grievous wound to the throat?"

He was ignored.

" 'Cause they got these things you place to your throat and _viola_! You can speak! I mean, _you. sound. like. a. robot_, but hey, Robo-ninja... That could be cool."

Still, Snake Eyes stood in his way, not moving a muscle.

With a sigh, T-rat awkwardly scratched the back of his head as he said," Look, it's not like I don't appreciate this quality time here, but is there a reason you're blocking my way? It's kinda chilly tonight, and I've gotten a little drenched during my scavenging."

Letting his head move slightly as he averted his gaze, Snake Eyes suddenly leapt straight up and out of sight as he let himself be swallowed by the thick foliage.

"Gee, was it something I said?" Tunnel Rat asked a little sarcastically before mumbling to himself," Well, that was weird." Before he could get his hand to the door, a deft hand rested on his shoulder from behind.

Jerking away, Tunnel Rat whipped his head back to see everybody's favorite ninja. "Oh, it's you again. You trying to kill me off?" He held a hand to his racing heart to emphasize his point.

The man in black didn't react to these words; instead merely holding up the brown leather trench coat he'd used for 'blending in'. Arching an eyebrow, the raven haired man accepted the coat and shrugged it on.

Apparently the silent ninja wanted his company.

"Uh, okay, so is there something you need me for?" Digging into his pocket, he brought out a root and asked," Hungry?"

Snake Eyes shook his head and raised a hand to say he'd pass.

"Everyone's a critic," T-rat muttered with a shrug as he bit into it himself. The root was bitter and most people would have found it revolting, but he didn't mind it. It was a great source of nutrients, high in vitamin C and a few B vitamins, good for keeping a healthy immune system and keeping good muscle tone.

The man was really starting to wish he knew why Snake Eyes was keeping him here. The ninja never seemed to do anything without a purpose, but right now, Tunnel Rat was feeling that there wasn't a specific reason for Snake Eyes keeping his company. Almost like he just wanted to hang out.

The shorter man quickly dismissed that thought with an internal jeer at his own stupidity. This was the ninja who he'd never seen do anything but what was completely necessary. Of course he didn't want to just hang out.

Though... As Snake Eyes just stood there, almost seemingly like he was at a loss for what to do, the idea seemed a little more plausible. They'd been through a lot together: (many) crazy explosions, crazy clan members trying to kill him for a crime he may or may not have committed, saving friends from crazy cults- there was a lot of crazy, and Snake Eyes endured it all without a single noise or other indication of complaint. Perhaps he just needed someone.

"Hey, while I was foraging, I found a nice place to relax. Uh, want to check it out?" Anything so he didn't have to keep standing. It was amazing how the extreme of too much sitting always seemed to lead to an excess of walking the next chance you got.

Looking at Tunnel Rat for a moment, Snake Eyes gave a swift nod.

"Great, I'll show you the way. It's pretty close."

His words were truthful, they could easily make it back to the truck in a few minutes, and for the ninja, probably under a minute. Tunnel Rat stretched before sitting down in the little clearing and resting his back against a small boulder. The ground beneath them was soft, but lacked grass, perfect for a little flame. It would be a nice night for a fire. As he'd previously mentioned, he was a little damp and cold.

Seeing the withdrawn position of his comrade, obviously a stance of being cold and trying to keep in warmth, Snake Eyes bent to the ground and picked up some sticks lying around and some dried plant material that would be good for getting a flame going.

Placing a larger branch, almost thick enough to be considered a log, in front of himself, he quickly rubbed a stick against it so the friction would light up the bramble he then placed on it.

"Sweet, now you're a psychic! Anything that keeps my toes warm is a good thing," Tunnel Rat said, grinning as he removed his soggy boots. A little time to dry the boots and his feet would be well appreciated if he wasn't going to be returning to the Coyote anytime soon. With a small fire started and Snake Eyes busy placing stones in a protective circle around it, Tunnel Rat extended his feet towards it, graciously soaking up the heat.

"So, whatcha' want to talk about?"

He received a moment's glance before Snake Eyes went back to building his fire ring and then tending the growing flame.

"Right. What do you want _me_ to talk about?"

Tunnel Rat took the ninja ignoring him as a signal to just talk about whatever. "You know, these woods have a pretty nice supply of some natural cures I've been meaning to stock up on. Probably don't have any time to dry the herbs before we pick up and go, but it'd still be nice to find some tomorrow before we head out," He said, not sure how one was supposed to fill up a conversation with a mute ninja.

He took a break from his little monologue to chew on some more of his root, wondering what he should talk about next. Maybe he should talk about which herbs he was looking for, what they were good for? Maybe he should invite the ninja along for his little excursion?

Before he could think of something to say, Snake Eyes grabbed his full attention by approaching him and kneeling sage style just to his side.

"Yeah, got something to show me or something?"

Snake Eyes tentatively nodded. Well that was odd, the ninja was never hesitant about anything.

"You know how there's matter and the anti-matter stuff, but scientists don't really got anti-matter figured out, but they keep proving or disproving their ideas about it or something? You've got anti-speech, we just keep coming up with yes and no questions so you can explain everything," Tunnel Rat said, trailing off as Snake Eyes, raised a single finger to where his mouth was beneath the dark mask. Astonishment rang through T-rat's widened eyes as Snake Eyes placed a hand on either side of his concealed face and removed the silver mask.

"Oh, wow," He slipped before wincing and continuing," That's impressive." Seeing Snake Eyes's gaze shift away, he quickly added on," Though, I've seen worse." _On a corpse_... This brought the ninja's eyes focusing on him again. Tunnel Rat used every ounce of control he had to make sure he didn't squirm under the man's gaze. No wonder the guy wore a mask.

His left eyebrow was completely missing, and the right one fared only a little better. He'd obviously been a burn victim, mostly likely of an explosion, because his scarred skin had many long divots in it indicating where metal had lodged into the burning flesh. His face was significantly disfigured by much of the skin pulling and twisting how it shouldn't.

An impressive gash tore through his left eye, and Tunnel Rat had doubts as to whether Snake Eyes could still see out of it. The cornea and iris didn't seem ruptured, but the scar around it indicated it would have still been a grievous injury that put a lot of strain on the delicate organ while it was trying to heal, and now it kept the eye from opening fully. Small, old cuts riddled his face, and one could easily tell that his life had not been an easy one.

Seeing the little cut out of the man's true face flickering in the unsteady light of the fire made Tunnel Rat curious and want to see all of his face. He reached out slowly for the man in black, but stopped cold in his tracks as Snake Eyes shook his head and replaced the silver, grated mask.

Snake Eyes placed a finger to his mouth, and Tunnel Rat nodded. "I get it, stay quiet about it. Don't worry, complete radio silence." This calmed down his buddy, as calm as the quiet guy got, still tense as a statue, but at least not on edge. The raven haired man idly wondered why _he_ got such an opportunity. As far as he was aware, only Scarlett had gotten to see beneath the mask before.

They stayed by the fire for around two hours more; Tunnel Rat working to fill the silence, and Snake Eyes tending to the fire. It wasn't so awkward after a while, and T-rat was kind of disappointed when his ninja buddy began covering the fire with dirt. He caught on to that being a signal their little weird hanging out session was over and helped put out the flame before returning to the Coyote.

* * *

The following night was much the same, though Snake Eyes woke him from his sleep inside the truck. Rubbing at his eyes with annoyance, he almost grumbled how unappreciative he was of being woken up at stupid o'clock (having mistaken the darkness to be just before sunrise) but soon recognised Snake Eyes standing over him. Nothing matched the glare of a man woken up and expected to walk around, and he directed fully unto the masked man. Stifling a yawn, he followed the ninja to a quiet area, if only out of curiosity as to why he was being dragged off again.

"So, how's it going in ninjatown?"

No acknowledgement.

"Is there a particular reason you had me follow you tonight, again?"

No acknowledgement.

"Can you at least acknowledge when I speak to you so I don't start thinking you're deaf too?"

A simple nod.

"So you're just ignoring me. Great."

A simple nod.

Crossing his arms, Tunnel Rat sighed and continued following the mute man. So he got to be woken up in the middle of the night by the poster child for aggravatingly mute ninjas, and then actively ignored as he asked _why_ he was being hauled from sleep. It was just his lucky day.

Snake Eyes abruptly jumped to a low lying, maybe about ten feet off the ground, branch and sat cross legged on it with his back against the tree's thick trunk. Cranking his neck to look at the man in black, T-rat complained," I spent enough time learning the ground, I think I'll steer clear of skycity if I can possibly help it." Though all bets were off if a feral beast attacked.

If the man didn't know better, he would have thought Snake Eyes to be falling as the swordsman suddenly leaned to the side and only caught himself with curled legs. He reached towards the ground, obviously intending for his friend to hoist himself up or swing like a trapeze artist or _something_. Tunnel Rat was still less than interested.

With a seeming disappointed air, Snake Eyes flipped down onto his feet. The shorter man was kind of surprised. Being stubborn _never_ worked for him, and for it to work against the dogged ninja... He must be a god. Shrugging it off as a rare case of good luck, he sat down by a near tree and leaned against it much like Snake Eyes had been doing a story above just moments ago.

Their resident swordsman joined him a couple feet away and sat as if meditating. His head turned to gaze at the other as his companion kept nodding off. Perhaps stealing the joe from sleep was inconvenient for both. Snake Eyes expertly anticipated when his ally would glance over, and embarrassedly averted his gaze just in time.

"Sorry if you're expecting a full blown convo like last night, but I could stand to catch some, nah, a lot of freaking Z's," Tunnel Rat mumbled. Seeing the other shake his head lightly, he correctly interpreted it as 'it's alright' and hummed in acknowledgement. He was chilled, tired, and sitting in quite an open area. His survival instincts should've flashed so many warning signs that paranoia would keep him from drifting into sleep, but Snake Eyes was there, and for some reason that alleviated the caution. Sure, he was a ninja, which as he'd pointed out before, made him a spy, saboteur, and assassin by definition, but he kind of felt safe in his presence.

Snake Eyes noted when the other was fully out and got to his feet to return him to his spot on the Coyote. Gingerly picking him up and holding him close, the ninja leisurely departed for the truck, placing him back without anyone noticing.

* * *

It had been almost a week now, and the ninja didn't miss a night of bringing Tunnel Rat out for their odd hanging out. Besides the initial meeting, Tunnel Rat didn't get another sneak peek at what laid beneath the mask, but didn't much care. He still felt that he was getting to see Snake Eyes much more exposed than any other one of the Joes. It was kind of odd, but he wasn't going to complain. It wasn't like he had anything better to do.

"So can I ask you why you've been dragging me off every night?"

Snake Eyes paused but then nodded. He tapped his heart with two fingers, hoping that would be enough for the other to figure out the general problem.

"Love troubles?" Receiving a nod, he further guessed," You're afraid the other won't return your feelings?"

Another nod.

Sitting up, T-rat focused his gaze at the ninja with a cocked eyebrow as he said," So... You and Scarlett...?"

With almost a surprised turn of the head, Snake Eyes shook his head.

"More of a sister to ya', eh?" Well, who else could Mr. Never-Talk-Ninja be into? They never really stuck around an area long enough for any of the normal(er) guys to form a crush on a girl, let alone the man in black who never did anything but meditate and pull of BA crowning moments of awesome in secret.

With a shrug, Tunnel Rat leaned back so he could look up at the sky. Why would Snake Eyes come to him for comfort? He knew Scarlett (and she could understand Silentese) much longer, Duke was much more of the man's man kind of guy, and Roadblock was more in touch with his emotions. Really, he was kind of the worst guy on the team to come to...

Feeling like he was supposed to spout encouraging stuff though, he said," I guess, I'd just go for it. I mean, being rejected is better than never trying and finding out later they would have mmppfff-!"

Strong hands held onto both of his shoulders, and Tunnel Rat was being held just in front of Snake Eyes. All that filled his vision were shocks of blond hair, and all he could taste was a warm and sweet mouth pressed up against his own. As the other's rough lips left his, the raven haired man stared dumbfounded at the now unmasked ninja. Wh-What just happened...? He hadn't even seen the other remove his mask!

The blond hair that framed his face was ruffled from being under the skin tight mask, and only a little over an inch long. Some of the burn scarring reached into the hairline, and the left side of his head didn't grow any hair until a little behind his gnarled ear.

"I- I'm sorry, dude. I don't know how to say this... I've never really thought of men that way," He stuttered out, wincing at the pained look in Snake Eye's pale blue eyes.

Closing his eyes and nodding curtly, he let go of Tunnel Rat, returned his mask to its rightful place, and was gone in the blink of an eye.

"W-wait, Snakes, I didn't..." Flopping onto his back, he sighed. "Great, now we have a missing ninja, and it's totally my fault," he mumbled to himself.

* * *

"Hey, Red," Tunnel Rat said," You seem to know a lot about Mr. Ninja. Know why he can't say a word?" If he was kissing the guy, he'd like to know a little more about him.

Looking over to her comrade and brushing her bangs out of her eyes, she hesitated before replying," Something from his past, but that's all I know. If he wants you to know more, he'll tell you."

"Well that's real descriptive," Tunnel Rat scoffed. "One problem, though, If he's silent, how do ya' expect him to tell me more?"

"For an aphonic man, he's pretty capable of conveying what he wants, if only you listen," She cryptically said with a coy smile.

"You sure you're not a ninja too? 'Cause that was pretty philosophical for a spy. If you're his master ninja and just holding back so you can watch him grow, you can drop the act. Your baby bird left the nest. He kissed me."

Dropping her smug expression, Scarlett asked," What?"

"He kissed me," Tunnel Rat repeated with a shrug. Glancing at her still surprised expression, he said," Yeah, I know. I thought he was into you, too."

Shaking her head, she stepped away from what she was doing and said," Who we thought he was 'into' doesn't matter. How did you react?"

Raising his hands in a 'I dunno' kind of gesture, Tunnel Rat answered," Well I apologised and kinda just said I don't swing that way. Why?"

"You may find this hard to believe, but I've never seen him open up to anyone, and I don't think he has in a very, very long time," She said a little sardonically as she crossed her arms.

"Oh, come on! You can't blame me for not being gay. I was pretty nice about it considering I had just been pulled into an unexpected kiss from a dude." The him being a 'dude' didn't really bother him all that much, but the shock of it all had stunned him too much to phrase it any other way at the time. What would you do if the strong, silent, never do anything unnecessary, and almost always masked guy suddenly pulled you into a kiss?

"Relax, I'm not blaming you for anything. I just hope Snake Eyes is alright," She said, her voice initially hard, but then wearing into a soft and concerned murmur. Snake Eyes and her were undeniably close, but he had only ever revealed his face to her a handful of times. A rare hug was too intimate for him to comfortably accept without being obviously withdrawn. She sincerely hoped that Tunnel Rat's rejection hadn't hit him so hard he would refuse to open up to anyone again.

"Yeah, me too," Tunnel Rat said with a grim frown. "Well, I thought I should tell someone, and you were kinda the best choice. I'm going to check out the local plant life," He informed her with a half hearted wave. That way when he never came back and they found him with a shuriken in his back, someone would know why.

* * *

"Does anyone else find it odd that we haven't seen Snake Eyes in four days?" Duke asked as the group began eating lunch that Roadblock had prepared. It wasn't atypical for their friend to not show up, especially while they were just traveling through unpopulated areas, but four days seemed a little excessive.

With an accusing frown, Scarlett looked at Tunnel Rat and said," I think that would be your fault."

The blonde quirked an eyebrow, and T-rat quickly said," Wow, way to go, tattletale. And everyone calls _me_ the rat. Duke, it's personal, and for ninja boy's sake, not saying a word. Lips sealed."

"If there's something going on between my men that are affecting their ability to work together on the team, then it's no longer personal. It's my business."

"Eh, it was a boring conversation," He dismissed. Okay, so that was a complete lie, there was nothing boring about what happened.

Duke was still giving him an expectant look.

"Believe me, you're not getting me to spill. Anyways, according to Red, if he wants you to know, he'll tell you. Something about aphonic men conveying crap well," Tunnel Rat said as he proceeded to ignore the Joe's leader and continue eating.

"That doesn't sit well with me," Duke said with a shake of the head. "I need to know if what went down could mess with the dynamic of our team."

Scarlet assured," Snake Eyes won't let personal matters get in the way of his work. He may just want a little more distance."

Duke was obviously not comforted by this, but sighed and gave in. He was just going to have to take her word for it; she knew him much better than any of them.

* * *

Placing a firm hand on his sleeping target's shoulder, Snake Eyes quickly followed up with a hand clamping over Tunnel Rat's mouth. The man still made an attempt to yell, but it was muffled, and he quit pretty quickly as he saw the moonlight glint off of Snake Eyes' mask.

As his bedside guest removed his hand, Tunnel Rat took a large gasp of oxygen. In a harsh whisper, he gritted out," What the hell? I was having a really creepy dream, and then you suffocate me? And people wonder why I'm paranoid!"

Snake Eyes didn't seem perturbed in being yelled at and simply handed the man a change of clothes and his boots.

Grabbing the items calmly held in front of him, the man cocked an eyebrow and looked from the clothes up to Snake Eye's veiled face. "We're heading out?" They hadn't obviously since he went missing, and T-rat didn't even know the time, but if Snake Eyes wanted him to come with him, he felt kind of obligated.

Shrugging on the sweatshirt over his plain olive drab shirt, Tunnel Rat shoved the boots on and stood up ready to go. With the life they lead, they were usually sufficiently dressed to go on the run at all times. His ninja buddy swiftly opened the truck's loading doors without a sound and motioned for Tunnel Rat to follow quietly.

Once they were on their way into the woods, the man couldn't keep his dark eyes from darting from the ninja to his surroundings just a tad bit suspiciously. They hadn't heard, well, seen from the swordsman in four days, and he suddenly shows up and brings him deeper and deeper into the woods, far away from the Coyote, almost far enough that they certainly wouldn't be able to hear his call for help- Tunnel Rat sighed and reminded himself this was _Snake Eyes_. If he wanted him dead or silent, he could do it bare handed in like a second.

He had been following Snake Eyes so intently without actually paying attention, that he nearly walked into the ninja as he abruptly stopped. Turning around, the man in black awkwardly averted his gaze and rubbed a fist against his chest in a circular motion.

"Er, I'm a joe, not a deaf interpreter... Got morse?"

He quickly tapped out a single word, and Tunnel Rat sighed as he facepalmed. "I really should have paid more attention in codes. Though, I think I caught the message." It helped that the first two letters were S and O, because SOS was so commonplace, many people who never learned morse could pick it up. "And if it's 'sorry', really, I'm sorry too. I mean, I was so caught off guard, I didn't really think fast enough to explain how I felt before you ninja'd off into the night."

Suddenly finding the ground fascinating to stare at as he idly kicked at the dirt, he mumbled," Truth is, I haven't really been into a girl either. Not really since high school anyways." It wasn't that he wasn't interested, and sure he'd gotten lucky a few times, but not too many girls were into the guy who could live off the swamp land and onlytake a shower every once in a while (if he bothered). He had to admit, it felt kind of nice to know that another genuinely was interested in him.

Snake Eyes stepping forward and lifting his chin gently, T-rat didn't need to see the expression hidden behind the silver mask to know exactly what question was formulating in the other's mind. Still, he asked," Remove the mask, won't you?"

The man in black backed up suddenly like he was bitten, but sighed and obliged the simple request. Keeping his head bowed so his face was in the shadows, he spun the silver mask in his hands.

"No no no no," Tunnel Rat said, waving his hands in time with his words," None of that shy crap. If you can kiss me, you can look me in the eyes."

Eyebrows furrowed in embarrassment, he raised his head and looked to the other's deep, dark eyes. He felt so exposed without his mask. His scars, his expression, it was all open for anyone's curiosity. Though, peace came to him as he locked eyes with Tunnel Rat. Those dark orbs weren't scanning his face in grotesque wonder; he didn't even seem phased by his disfigured face. The man was simply looking into his eyes and speaking in a common language. Silent and understanding.

"We can try this, but hey, take it slow. I'm going to need some time to wrap my brain around having a ninja boyfriend." Asking the man to remove his mask became very worth it by the surprise that rang through his eyes. Crossing his arms and relishing in the knowledge that _he_ had managed to surprise _Snake Eyes_, he admitted," Yeah, I said the scary word. Boyfriend. I'm a tunnel rat, sewer rat, and tons of other names. I've never got away with stepping around terms before, so why start now?"

Looking up into the sky to gauge time, Snake Eyes replaced his mask and tapped his wrist.

"Yeah, we should get back before someone misses us. Well, me. You're still missing as far as they're concerned," The last word was gasped as his feet no longer touched the ground. The ninja held him tightly as he ran and scaled two trees like one would a wall in an alley way. Making it a good distance off the ground, he pushed off the tree to one a ways away and spun on the branch with his legs alone. From the spin he propelled himself to another branch but merely landed on his feet into a running jump from branch to branch until the Coyote came into view.

Snake Eye's plummeted to the ground and landed the incredible distance without a trouble. His partner's knees would be shaking if he wasn't supporting himself on the ninja as he was set back on the ground.

"Heh heh, never thought I'd see the day when No Nonsense Ninja did aerial stunts just to show off." It had been freaking amazing, but utterly terrifying; his stomach was lodged in his throat. He kind of had mixed feelings as to whether that was kissing worthy or vomit worthy.

Obviously, Snake Eyes expected neither, because he gave a curt wave and readied to jump back into the thick foliage and out of sight. Tunnel Rat placed a hand on the crouching man's shoulder and caused the other to look back in mild surprise.

Crouching down beside the other, Tunnel Rat tried to remove the skin tight mask, but the seemingly invisible hem eluded him. "Oh c'mon, I know there's a seam here somewhere."

Raising a hand to behind his head, Snake Eyes hesitantly slipped two fingers between the head and neck portion of his costume and pulled off the mask. His heartbeat quickened, something he wasn't accustomed to (his numerous years with ninja training had pretty much eliminated it as a response to the unexpected), as Tunnel Rat's lips touched his briefly. The other had just kissed him... voluntarily... It was hard to believe, especially knowing that his full face had been seen and the other knew exactly _what_ he was kissing.

Raising one broad hand to cover his eyes, they revealed too much of what he was feeling, Snake Eyes dipped his head in farewell and flipped backwards into the brush behind them.

Standing up and brushing his hair back, Tunnel Rat smirked and murmured," Healing moments quota met for the day."


End file.
